From today until July 15, the Commercial Vehicle Safety Alliance (CVSA) is conducting Operation Safe Driver Week. During this period, law enforcement officials are intensifying their efforts to address speeding violations by issuing both warnings and citations.
Throughout the week, authorities in Canada, Mexico, and the United States are actively monitoring the behavior of both commercial motor vehicle drivers and drivers of passenger vehicles, with a particular focus on identifying and addressing unsafe driving practices. This information was shared in a news release by the CVSA.
“This weeklong driver safety traffic enforcement and awareness campaign aims to identify unsafe drivers, deter dangerous driving behaviors and prompt positive driving habits through officer interactions with drivers,” the news release noted. “Data shows that traffic stops and interactions with law enforcement help reduce problematic driving behaviors.”
Unsafe driving behaviors encompass various actions that jeopardize road safety. Some examples of these behaviors include exceeding speed limits, making improper lane changes, passing or turns, driving under the influence of drugs or alcohol, using handheld devices while driving, and neglecting to wear a seat belt. These are just a few instances of actions that are considered unsafe and can pose significant risks to both the driver and others on the road.
Every year, Operation Safe Driver Week emphasizes a particular unsafe driving behavior to raise awareness about its associated hazards. For the current year, the primary focus is on speeding. The campaign aims to draw attention to the risks and consequences associated with exceeding speed limits while driving. By highlighting this specific behavior, authorities seek to promote safer driving practices and reduce the incidence of speeding-related accidents and injuries on the road.
“CVSA has continued to focus on speeding because it remains a persistent problem on our roadways,” the news release stated. “Speeding increases the frequency and severity of crashes, and unsafe speeds are a well-documented factor in fatalities and injuries.”
2022 Results
During last year’s Operation Safe Driver Week, which took place from July 10-16, law enforcement officers in Canada and the United States conducted traffic stops on over 35,000 vehicles, including both commercial motor vehicles and passenger vehicles. They issued a total of 26,164 warnings and citations to drivers who were engaged in unsafe driving behaviors, such as speeding and distracted driving.
Similar to this year, speeding was the primary focus of the 2022 event and was the most common violation resulting in warnings and citations for all drivers, as reported by the CVSA. Specifically, there were 8,586 citations and 7,299 warnings issued for speeding, violating basic speed laws, or driving too fast for the given conditions.
Among these numbers, 2,577 warnings were given to commercial motor vehicle drivers, while 4,722 warnings were issued to passenger vehicle drivers. In terms of citations, 1,490 were handed out to commercial motor vehicle drivers, and 7,096 were issued to passenger vehicle drivers.
According to data from the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA), speeding has been a contributing factor in more than 25% of traffic-related fatalities, resulting in the loss of nearly 100,000 lives over the past decade. In 2020 alone, there were 11,258 deaths attributed to speeding-related incidents in the United States.
Additionally, a recent report by the American Transportation Research Institute (ATRI) titled “Predicting Truck Crash Involvement” revealed that commercial motor vehicle drivers who receive speeding violations are 47% more likely to be involved in a crash.
These statistics emphasize the significance of addressing speeding and promoting safer driving practices to prevent accidents and save lives on the road.
